We’ve been watching the popular iPhone 4′s technical problems over the past few weeks with its antenna design.  The iPhone 4′s DeathGrip is so common that anyone who owns and uses an iPhone on the road has experienced its propensity to dropping calls.

As a radio technician (Advanced-Class HAM license), I have to say that it’s impossible that competent design engineers missed this potential problem.  I truly doubt that Apple’s being hiring idiots to do its hardware designs, so it only left me with one possible answer: they knew about the problem in advance and that the problem was a design trade-off.  Turns out I was right again.

Steve Jobs admitted today that there is a real problem with the design, but gave the “but everybody else has a similar problem” excuse.  Sheesh!

It looks like we’ve got the evidence we need: Apple has finally become too arrogant to be responsive to even its greatest fans.  The fall is on the way…

Apple, I knew thee when.

Apple knew about iPhone 4 antenna problems long before its release.

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Apple, long known for having a near perfect security record gets nailed by its partner’s AT&T security problems.  Turns out that if you own an iPad with AT&T service (which has only been on sale for about a month) your email address and AT&T cellular data has been stolen — at least by researchers.

The list of those whose personal iPad information has been stolen goes all the way from the average user through military officials and all the way to the white house.  Bad news, but not horrific…

However, it further damages an already strained relationship between Apple and AT&T.  Expect a bit of a shakeout in the future.

Apple’s Worst Security Breach: 114,000 iPad Owners Exposed.

Related articles:

• E-mail Addresses Of Early iPad Buyers Exposed By AT&T (paidcontent.org)
• iPad security breach: Who’s at fault? (blogs.chron.com)
• AT&T Responds To The iPad Privacy Breach (AAPL, T) (businessinsider.com)

Wow.  What a lifechanger — something I’ve never said before, at least when it comes to a computer accessory.  Kids are another matter entirely   Definitely a lifechanger.

This external battery fits quite nicely into my briefcase and powers my MacBook Pro 15″ for more than 13 hours!  That means I can go a whole day of using my Laptop without ever having to plug it in.  I never have to worry about going to a meeting, working at Panera or watching the kids play sports.  I always have all the power I need.

I even have it powering my iPod, my cell phone (which I use for Internet access) and my Laptop at the same time.

As I said, a lifechanger.

From their website: “HyperMac is the ONLY external battery and car charger solution that works with ALL MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro (supports dual voltage) [models]. Available in 4 different sizes (60~222Wh), the HyperMac battery also powers the iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and all other USB devices.”

HyperMac even sells a very well-designed car adapter, which lets you run your Laptop off any standard 12V power source.  That means that you don’t have to use the external battery in your car, RV, boat, on some airplanes and even via Solar Cells!  I had bought the DC adapter that Apple sells, and this HyperMac adapter is the one Apple should be selling.

- Safer than power inverters as you aren’t running the voltage up to 110VAC, which can present a real health hazard
- Almost twice as efficient as inverters, it’s 92% efficient, saving you $$ in the long-run.
- Cleaner power signal important for high fidelity performance means fewer problems with your Laptop, iPhone/iPod or other accessories
- Half the size of any inverter and power adapter combinations

This small and highly-functional adapter is a true winner.

Currently more than 52% of Internet users are exposed to this problem due to ISPs who haven’t properly updated their DNS (Dynamic Name System) servers, but there’s a way you can tell if you’re at risk.

Visit www.doxpara.com and click on the “Check My DNS” button on the upper right side of the page.  It will run a series of tests for you, automatically, and tell you if your machine is at risk.  There’s another checker at DNS-OARC and one at the lower left corner of DNSstuff, but you don’t have to run all three.

Business personnel must check their DNS to ensure that there are not problems that could expose personal or proprietary data to criminal enterprises abroad.  Failure to do so could result in criminal prosecution for the company themselves  — it’s unlikely the true criminals will ever be caught.

The Austin Film Festival summer camp started 15 years ago and has drawn thousands of participants who write and review screenplays and direct, produce and star in their films. Each camp provides a summer fantasy for around 200 children who get to perfect their various film-making interests.

The purpose is to present the concept of communication (of an idea or a message) to students in a way that enables them to connect with the media which they consume on a daily basis. Ideally, this will help to make them better communicators and more critical consumers of media. They learn script writing, craft story telling, marketing, communication, understanding audience and produce films.

The program offers in two modes. Children aged 9 – 12 will learn the entire process of conceptualization of story for a short film to finished piece and marketing. Students produce their shorts using digital video cameras with digital non-linear editing systems. Children get the opportunity to work in these technology areas, which is not a normal industry practice.

The second mode is for children aged 13 – 17. In this program, they will learn scripting, comedy shows, video class and make a film. Additionally, one of the inherent aspects of the film process which they learn is collaboration, as the medium. Parents are more excited than their children.

The skills learned both from the equipment and from the process of filmmaking can be applied to future careers in not only film-making, but other media like advertising and consumer communication fields. Though many enrolled students are inherently interested in the artistic applications of camp, the technology opens up other significant opportunities after college. Many of the past campers are now enrolled in film schools throughout the US.

Since the late 90’s, the film industry has been in the process of shifting to digital technologies in all aspects of film production. Not only is film being shot in a digital format, but the editing, sound, special effects and finally projection have all moved out of the real world and onto the computer. Technology can make film making easier now a days that anyone can buy a digital camera and make film. Apple comes with its own software which can literally edit and make films.

New digital technologies allow innovative and original voices to be seen and heard because technology has knocked down many of the roadblocks which the entertainment industry constructed with the original studio system. These digital technologies have allowed even the youngest filmmakers to produce work of a quality which would rank with some professionals (HD camera/final cut editing system).

Children are very excited when they are behind the camera. Here is what they say after the program:

“I’ve learned so much at the Austin Film Festival camp that it’s inspired me to go on and create my own movies outside and put my hands on every project I can,” said Elizabeth Breazile, a former film student.

In addition to this Camp, the Austin Film Festival runs a program in two Austin public High Schools in co-operation with the school district. The unique program teaches screenwriting in the underserved school’s English classes. Through a technology grant from AT&T, we were able to expand the program to include production of the screenplays which the students write. This opened up the opportunity for students who would not normally have the opportunity to even consider a media career to also learn practical, applicable tech skills which can be applied in a variety of careers. The student’s inherent interest in media opens up the door for them to realize many other opportunities.

For more details and other information, visit here http://www.austinfilmfestival.com/new/summer_camp
For registration, click here http://www.austinfilmfestival.com/new/files/2008_AFF_Summer_Camp_Registration_Form_3.pdf

Barbara Morgan
Executive Director, Austin Film Festival

Barbara Morgan – A biography

Barbara Morgan co-founded the Austin Film Festival (AFF) in 1994 after a series of successful ventures in the music industry. In addition to running her own financing business for national broadcasters since 1988, Morgan managed musicians during Austin On the Road, a nation-wide tour of Austin singer/songwriters, which included Michael Fracasso, David Halley, Jimmy LaFave and Jo Carol Pierce; and also co-produced records with musicians such as Michael Fracasso and Charlie Sexton as an extension of her managerial career as well.

Since 1999, Morgan has served as the executive director of the AFF, the first festival to celebrate and recognize the screenwriter as the heart of the creative process of film making. In its fourteen-year history, the Festival has expanded to include a four-day screenwriter’s conference, eight-day film program, screenplay and teleplay contests and a film competition. In 2006, the AFF drew more than 2,500 registrants from around the world and sold more than 25,000 movie tickets. The AFF is one of the few U.S. festivals to be officially recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for its jury winning films.

Regarded as one of the top three script contests in the world, the AFF’s screenplay competition initiated the process of combining talented, undiscovered writers with production companies. In its first year, the AFF introduced screenplay winner Max Adams to then head of production at Columbia Pictures, Barry Josephson. The result of their meeting was the production of Adams’ script, Excess Baggage. The industry attention created by the sale of Adams’ script not only propelled the AFF to greater notoriety, but also encouraged Morgan to develop and produce a film from a screenplay competition submission. The film was 1996’s semifinalist Natural Selection, whose writers, B.J. Burrow and Allen Odom, had already signed a contract with Gotham Entertainment based on their Festival success. The finished film, which stars David Carradine (Kung Fu), Michael Bowen (Jackie Brown), Darren Burrows (Northern Exposure), Stephen Root (News Radio) and Bob Balaban (Waiting for Guffman), was completed in early 2000; has been aired on Showtime and the Sci-fi channel; is in DVD distribution and has been released internationally. In 2005, Morgan co-produced the feature documentary Antones: Home of the Blues, which was released internationally and is available on DVD; and in 2007 Morgan produced the locally made documentary, Teaching Austin: 150 Years of Public Education.

Morgan’s most recent project has been the expansion of the AFF’s Young Filmmaker Program. The program, which began with the Festival’s 1994 inception, sprang from Morgan’s volunteer work at Brackenridge Children’s Hospital, and provides local youth the opportunity to make films through the AFF Summer Camp in partnership with the University of Texas RTF department and hosts hundreds of students every summer. The program also provides scholarships to high school students enabling them to attend October’s festival at no cost and the chance to meet their screenwriting and filmmaking heroes. Recently, Morgan produced a video with the Texas Education Agency to promote a new screenwriting competition aimed at schoolchildren. The competition seeks to encourage the creativity and communication skills of participating children, by providing them with the tools necessary to improve their work in school and increase their chances of success as they enter the workforce. As a result, the Story Telling Through Film program has been implemented at three Austin High Schools and every year reaches about 500 students.

About Austin Film Festival:

The Austin Film Festival’s Film Camp will be hosted this summer at McCallum H.S. in Austin, Texas. McCallum, home to one of the leading Fine Arts Academies in the U.S., houses an impressive filmmaking lab with new Apple computers and a film studio for shooting, making the camp one of the most popular technology-oriented summer classes in the area.

In its 6th year, this affordable camp is designed to keep kids engaged in the arts by working on creative projects with qualified counselors who have experience in media-related fields. Camp gives kids interested in film an opportunity to learn from filmmakers, film students, and even film professors from UT, an experience otherwise hard to come by.

Campers can choose special-interest classes depending on their age, including Claymation, script-to-screen, funny shorts, special effects and even music video production for older campers.

The Claymation series involves using three-dimensional media and live-action, stop motion animation to make inanimate characters come to life in short films. The script-to-screen, special effects and music video courses combine the technological aspects of lighting, sound, editing and camera operation to teach young students the ins and outs of filmmaking. Students have the ability to actually produce films and receive a copy of their work on DVD at the end of the camp.

The Austin Young Filmmakers Camp takes place June 9 – August 8. Both one week and two week sessions are available for the classes, which are several hours a day on Mondays-Fridays

As an aside, the AFF Film Camp has many success stories, but the most recent involves local student Bryanne Cooke who has attended multiple camp sessions and just recently earned a full-tuition 4-year scholarship to USC’s cinema program. She credits AFF Film Camp for shaping her interest and skills.

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In the last few years, Apple has seen a huge increase in the business presence of the Mac, outside of the traditional “Oh, our designers use Macs.” How well does Apple and the Mac really play in business, and at what level, (SOHO/SMB/Big Enterprise)

• How well do Macs work as file servers, web servers, database servers, directory servers?

• Does the Mac work well for IT uses? Can you really run a network from or with a Mac as an IT person?

• We’ve all heard the hype, both good and bad, but what’s the reality of a Mac? Is it more or less secure than Windows XP or Vista?

• Can you actually have people on both working together without more pain than it’s worth?

• Macs in a Web 2.0 World. How well does the Mac play with Facebook/MySpace/Amazon S3 et al

John C. Welch
Writer and Analyst
The Zimmerman Agency

John C. Welch – A biography

John Welch is the Sr. Systems Engineer for The Zimmerman Agency, and has been an IT professional, specializing in the integration of Macs into networks for over 15 years. He is also a regular contributor to Macworld.com, a regular speaker on Mac IT issues at Macworld Conference & Expo since 1999, and the mind behind http://www.bynkii.com/

The Zimmerman Agency — A Tallahassee-based branding, advertising, public relations and interactive firm — has total billings exceeding $175 million annually and employs more than 136 full-time professionals. A sampling of the agency portfolio includes The Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences, Costa del Mar Sunglasses, Yachts of Seabourn, Sanderson Farms Chicken, Tobacco Free Florida, Club Med, Aflac and the British Virgin Islands.

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Macs are becoming increasingly popular with businesses because they give users extra control. Additionally, Macs have a different configuration than PCs. Windows servers are Mac compatible, which makes Macs more attractive to businesses. Mac users find that they offer a more consistent feel than PCs. Macs are also gaining market share in the personal computing space.

John Aumann – A biography

Jon Aumann, one of Geek Squad’s most-accomplished special agents, has been fascinated by computers for most of his life. The inner workings of complex machines have always interested Jon and driven him to understand what allows them to endure and operate as efficiently (and sometimes not so efficiently) as they do. His curiosity directed him, from an early age, to constantly take things apart, though admittedly taking things apart proved easier than putting them back together. Jon recalled that his desire to understand how computers work expanded when he bought his first computer: he learned that the computer was not simply one giant operating system but a network of systems performing multiple tasks at the same time. Jon began tinkering with computers alongside friends in high school during impromptu sessions in which they would do everything from setting up firewalled corporate networks to creating a LAN (local area network) to play games. He became involved with the computer-repair industry through an internship as an assistant network administrator. In addition to basic repairs, his primary intern duties centered on network-administration setup and helping maintain a large-scale network. Frequently, the computers he was working on were older models than he was used to, so he had to familiarize himself quickly with the systems he was given to correct. This training was essential to Jon’s development as a computer technician because it gave him to know-how to fix any computer no matter its make, model, or age.

The most memorable moments on the job for Jon revolve around his interactions with his clients, especially those who have very little experience with computers. One particularly memorable client had never operated a computer before she met Jon. By the time he was finished, she felt comfortable with the basic operations and had even mastered using her webcam to view pictures of her great-grandson from across the country. “It’s the best feeling in the world when I can give someone a practical, everyday use for their computer and make them truly enjoy it,” John said.

Though technology positions are widely characterized as purely mechanical and isolated in nature, John’s advice to those interested in computer repair is to learn to love communicating with others. He believes that too many clients have encountered inattentive and anti-social computer professionals who simply don’t understand that customers are already frustrated when they walk through the door. John revealed that, “Fixing the computer is only part of my job. Equally important is making the client feel like a part of the process and having them come away with positive experiences. My job is not just technical, and in fact, people skills are a large part of what I do everyday.”

Currently a junior at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, where he is studying computer engineering, John began his professional career working part-time for Geek Squad. Though initially he viewed his job at Geek Squad as simply a temporary college gig, he has developed it into a full career path, moving from part-time in-store technician to full-time in-home technician. He said that, “Working for the Geek Squad allows me multiple career possibilities within Geek Squad itself and with our parent company, Best Buy. Once I get my degree, I hope to continue towards a master’s degree while maintaining various certifications.” John envisions his future to be at Geek Squad Corporate, where he plans to provide support for agents around the world.

For help with all of your computing, home theater and mobile entertainment needs, trust Geek Squad. Geek Squad Agents, Home Theatre Installers and Auto Techs can be located by calling 1.800 GEEK SQUAD, visiting www.geeksquad.com or the Geek Squad Precinct located in every Best Buy. We provide our services wherever and whenever you need them – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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[Listen here to get the inside information from the people who make parallels about how it will help your Mac run Windows while it's still running the famous Mac Operating System!]

Parallels, an award-winning virtual machine packages, enables Mac users to run Windows, Linux or any other operating system and their critical applications at the same time as Mac OS X on any Intel-powered Apple computer. Since being made available in June 2006, the product is now in its 3rd generation.

Parallels is the company made famous for being the first to enable Macs with Intel processors to run Windows programs. In technologist terms, this was like solving the common cold – something people had wanted forever.

Since being launched, Parallels Desktop for Mac has been recognized with more than 30 major industry awards and was the first non-Apple product to ever win the MacWorld Magazine Reader’s Choice Award. Some other notable awards include the MacWorld Magazine’s “Editor’s Choice” Award (the “Eddy”) and PC World Magazine’s “Innovation of the Year” Award.

Now, about two years later, Parallels has sold more than 1 million copies of the Parallels Desktop for Mac software. It is the top-selling Mac utility program and sales have been made in 102 countries.

Is it coincidence in that time span the Apple Mac market share worldwide has climbed from approximately 3 percent to nearly 7 percent? Hardly … the Parallels software has eliminated the wall that previously existed between PCs and Macs and the virtualization technology has been a catalyst behind enterprise Mac adoption.

On 16th May, 2008, Ben received on behalf of Parallels the Red Herring 100 Award, a selection of the 100 most innovative private technology companies based in North America out of more than 800 closely-evaluated companies that are leading the next wave of innovation.

Ben Rudolph
Director of Communications
Parallels
Ben Rudolph – A biography

Ben has worked in both information technology and biotechnology and describes himself as a total tech nerd who loves tinkering with gadgets, hardware and software. In his role as the evangelist for Parallels that means he can either talk at the deep technical level with the “gearheads” or provide a “tech 101″ overview to someone who doesn’t know a USB port from a tawny port. Ben is a frequent and popular speaker at industry conferences and at Apple stores.

Parallels is a worldwide leader in virtualization and automation software that optimizes computing for consumers, businesses, and service providers across all major hardware, operating systems, and virtualization platforms. Founded in 1999, Parallels is a fast-growing company with 900 employees in North America, Europe, and Asia.

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Apple’s McIntosh computers have been popular among small segments of business for years — primarily the graphics, advertising and marketing departments of small to large corporations. The recent huge successes brought by the iPod and more recently iPhone have exposed millions of people to Apple’s ease-of-use and just-works functionality and have subsequently driven the MacIntosh computers to the point where they hold an almost 10% market share of the desktop space. It was almost inevitable that we’d start to see them in the business space

I interviewed John C. Welch to talk about the popularity of these new MacIntosh computers in the business space.

• How well does Apple and the Mac really play in business, and at what level, (SOHO/SMB/Big Enterprise).

• How well do Macs work as file servers, web servers, database servers, directory servers?

• Does the Mac work well for IT uses? Can you really run a network from or with a Mac as an IT person?

• We’ve all heard the hype, both good and bad, but what’s the reality of a Mac? Is it more or less secure than Windows XP or Vista?

• Can you actually have people on both working together without more pain than it’s worth?

• How well does the Mac play with Facebook/MySpace/Amazon S3 et al?

John C. Welch
Writer and Analyst

John – A biography

John Welch is the Sr. Systems Engineer for The Zimmerman Agency, and has been an IT professional, specializing in the integration of Macs into networks for over 15 years. He is also a regular contributor to Macworld.com, a regular speaker on Mac IT issues at Macworld Conference & Expo since 1999, and the mind behind http://www.bynkii.com/

The Zimmerman Agency – A Tallahassee-based branding, advertising, public relations and interactive firm — has total billings exceeding $175 million annually and employs more than 136 full-time professionals. A sampling of the agency portfolio includes The Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences, Costa del Mar Sunglasses, Yachts of Seabourn, Sanderson Farms Chicken, Tobacco Free Florida, Club Med, Aflac and the British Virgin Islands.

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You can run Windows on Mac. But it’s not possibile to run Mac on Windows. Apple is creating waves and business of Mac is growing at rapid pace. Apple’s retails stores have also been a factor in greater sales of Macs. Half of all sales at Apple Stores are to people who are new to Macs, according to Apple.

• Sales of Macs to Windows users have accelerated. This is partly (or primarily) because Macs can now run both its native operating system, Mac OS X, and Windows, making it the most versatile computer you can buy.
• Windows users are looking for an alternative to their current computer because they feel inundated with viruses, spyware, and hackers that take advantage of security flaws in Microsoft’s operating system.
• The use of Intel chips in Macs — the same as is used in Windows PCs — has changed the game, both for home and work use. The issue of Windows compatibility is largely erased as Apple hardware can now run Windows. Both home and business users can think of the ability to run Windows as a safety net – it’s there if they need it.
• Home use has started to affect the landscape in the office. As more home users buy and use Macs, they’re coming to their bosses and asking for Macs instead of Windows. As a result, Macs are now being considered by more workplaces than in the past. Even IBM is going to let its employees use Macs if they like.
• Apple’s marketing has been remarkably effective. The Mac vs. PC ads have become a cultural touchstone, and made more people interested in Macs who normally would not have been.

Although you can run Windows on a Mac, the reverse is not true – at least not legally. But hobbyists have figured out a way to run the Mac OS on some generic PC hardware, and one controversial company — Psystar - has actually started selling generic PCs with the Mac OS preinstalled.

Dwight Silverman
Author – Running Windows on your MAC
Houston Chronicle Columnist

Dwight Silverman – A biography

Dwight Silverman is the computing columnist and technology blogger at the Houston Chronicle and cohost of “Technology Bytes,” a weekly radio show on KPFT-FM. Dwight is also author of Running Windows on Your Mac, a new book published by Peachpit that reveals how to use Microsoft Windows on your Mac.

Berkeley-based Peachpit has been publishing the industry’s best-selling books on the latest in graphic design, desktop publishing, multimedia, Web design and development, digital video and general Macintosh computing since 1986. Its award-winning books feature step-by-step explanations, time-saving techniques, savvy insider tips, and expert advice for computer users of all sorts. It is the home of the internationally recognized Visual QuickStart Guide series, the design imprint New Riders and its highly popular Voices That Matter series, and is the publishing partner for Adobe Press, NAPP, Apple Certified, and others. Peachpit is part of Pearson, the international media company. Pearson’s primary operations also include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group. Learn more at www.peachpit.com and www.pearson.com

The Houston Chronicle is not only a newspaper, it’s a Web site that attracts about 2 million page views a day. Chron.com is the leading local Web site for reaching Houston’s online population. With more than 6 million unique visitors per month, chron.com is the city’s most visited local Web site, complete with up-to-the-minute breaking news and exclusive online content, including coverage in Spanish. The perfect complement to the printed Houston Chronicle, chron.com provides more expansive detail, story packages, links and the latest updates throughout the day.